Lens for headlights



June 15, 1937. J. T. HOAL LENS FOR HEADLIGHTS Filed Feb. 13, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l June 15, 1937. J. T. HOAL LENS FOR HEADLIGHTS Filed Feb. 13, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR. 7 c'imaszfi aih {M ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 15, 1937 UNITED STATES LENS FOR HEADLIGHTS James Thomas Hoal, CorpusChristi, Tex.

Application February 13, 1936, Serial No. 63,795

' 3 Claims. (Cl. 24041.4)

The present invention relate's'to lenses to be used in connection" with the conventionaltype of headlights upon automobiles and more particularly to a non-glare headlight lens having 5 amongst its principal objects the provision of a lens which may be readily substituted for the ordinary lens now used in headlights andwhen in use. will have the appearance of the removed lens and yet] cause a'majorityof the light rays emittingtherefrom tobe directed out of the path of vision of approaching pedestrians and drivers. A further object of the present invention is to provide a lens vofthe aforesaid character which will cause the light rays emitting from the. upper half of the headlight to be "directeddownwardly over the roadway over which/the vehicle is travelling, while the beam of light from the lower half thereof will be composed of strong rays extending substantially parallel to the roadway and out of the line of vision of the drivers of the approaching vehicles.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a lens that will permit a beam of light to emitfrom only the lower half of the headlight, but said beam to combine the candlepower of the beam of both halveslof the headlight and at the same time, extend in a slightly downwardly slanting' direction from a line perpendicular to the lens so as to be non-glaring to persons in a vehicle'in the path of the beam.

Other objects of my invention will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter. j

In order that the invention and its mode of operation may be readily understood by persons skilled in the art, I have in theaccompanying illustrative drawings and in the detailed following description based thereupon, set out anembodiment of the same.

In the drawings, wherein like characters of 0 reference designate corresponding parts throughout:

Figure 1 is'a vertical sectional view of the lens embodying the invention when applied to a head lamp of a conventional type."

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the lens illusof the lens. extend at suchan angle as to reflect all rays from the illuminating means I or the reflector -.6 back to thereflector 6 in such a manner that the raysfwill be finally reflected from the lower arrows the possible refracted sponding parts are designated by similar reference characters throughout the several views, I

have illustrated in Figure, 1 a portion "of an or- ,dinary headlight used upon automobiles" consisting of a reflector 6, an incandescent lamp mounted in a socket 8 connected to the vertex of the reflector. The lens I embodying the present invention is to be substituted for the conventional headlight lens and mounted within the headlight in the usual manner. This lens, is a disc, of transparentmedia which isdivided into an upper section and a lower section. The lower section 2 has parallel faces throughout so that all light rays passing therethrough will have their emergent rays parallel to their incident Trays.

a ray perpendicular to the lens and passing on a horizontal plane through the center of the illuminating means would strike the lens','th e inner face of the lens is composed of short arched reflecting polygonal surfaces 4 connected together by transparent surfaces 5, while the outer fac'e.3 is a continuation of the lower outer face These'arcuate reflecting surfaces 4 halfof the reflector 6 outwardly through the lower portion 2 of the lens. The angle of the reflecting surfaces 4 is such as to regulate the angle of incidence at the point of final reflec tion so that the reflection will be in a downwardly slanting path as compared to a line passing from the center of the lamp to the center line 9 of thelens I. They reflecting surfaces 4 are stepped, in the manner as better illustrated in Figure 1 so that such surfaces that are arranged adjacent the upper end of'the lens will project inwardly at different angles from that of the reflecting surfaces located below said upper surfaces in order that a. majority of the rays of light striking such surfaces .will be reflected backand .flnally caused to pass through the lower transparent portion 2 of the lens. In this Figure 1 of the drawings, I have illustrated a possible'pencil of rays caused by such reflection'and also'by rays through the transparent surfaces 5.

Due tothe Point at which line 9 is situated, all

rays emitting from the incandescent lamp I pass through the lower portion 2 of the lens as down wardly extending rays.

The transparent surfaces I are naturally slanted because of their position between sunfaces 4 so that all rays reflected by the upper portion of the reflector O that strike their surface a? bent upon entering similar to the refracn eflect produced by light entering one side of'a prism. This bending causes the light beam to'head in'a downward manner until it strikes the outer face! of the lens'l where upon emergence it is bent slightly upward as the change of velocity of .the light wave in passing from the transparent media 'tothe atmosphere causes the rays to'bend upward as the upper rays of the beam strike the atmosphereflrst with the remainder of the rays emerging gradually along the line. The degree of slant of said transparent i surface 5 is such that the emergent will slant downward. This is produced by the slant of the surface 5 being such that the bendingof the incident ray is at such a 'downward'angleas to greatly offset the upward bending-tendency of the emergent ray."

with the'present lensused inconnectionfiwith "a headlight.v a beambf light isthrown directly downward with companion beams thrown outwardly butat a downward slantso that persons in vehicles in the path of the entire'illurnination are neither blinded nor forced toendure' a glaring'qheadlight and yet the headlightwill, have the appearance of a full circularlensfof' the conyentiohal type whether the headligh't 'beg illuminated or not;

v In order to renderv the surfaces I non-transparent and reflect g} they are covered or coated "with silver thereby producing mirrored surfaces that will cause any rays of light striking the same to' bereflected back against the reflector s.

In Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings. I have illustrated a slightly modified form of the invention when, appliedto'a concave-convex lens; In this form of lens the same is divided into a lower section and an upper section by of'a line It extending diametrically through the lens.

The lower section II also consists'of a transparent media having its outer faces extending parallel to one another. The inner 'faceof the upper section is provided with a plurality of prismatic 'o'r polygonal reflecting surfaces]! which are arranged in a stepped order asshown'r'whereby'the distance between illuminating means and each ,reflecting'surface I2 will practically; the

same. These reflecting surfaces are preferably covered with silver in order to render the same anon-transparent; whereas the shrine M 'between these reflecting surfaces are transparent in" order v that the light rays may pass therethrough.

.The' modification as illustrated .in. Figure 5 shows the type of prismatic or polygonal reflectv 'type as illustrated'in Figure 1 of the drawings.

ing surfaces I! applied to'a straight lens of the However, in all forms of inventionthese reflect.-

ingsurfaces are preferably of'the arcuate design concentrically arranged in the manner as better illustrated in Figures 2and 4 of the drawings and the width of these reflecting surfaces may be best determined by applying the same to various 1 type head lamps according to the. design of reflector 6 employed.

The arrow points. and-lines upon- Figure 1' indicate the several illumin'ous pencils but as the lamp 1 emits divergent rectilinear rays from all its points and in all directions, these pencil 1 rays are of course only illustrative ofa proposed theory upon which the lensfunctions. Likewise,

fan intenseandfarreaching light the lowerhalf thereof 'luitable' rerun "claims, I

- said upper. section; said ate of reduced intensity. M Manifestly. the eonstruotio'nherein is capable of considerable 'modiflcation' and modifications come within the scope of Wm WM ""3 ne! manlcl aiuul. A headlight lens said lower section being paralld.',[one faceof'said matic projections of. widthformed integral with and extending'fromjthe inner. of

. mit i as an upper and lower section, the opposed faces" of upper section extending with the'outei' faceof said lower ections plurality-of a as i prim croiections' having an upper iflidiowei'flider saidlower side parent surface increasing per end of the lens..

2. a headlight en beingcqualiyjdividedj into 7 an pper and lower section, the opposed raje'es r said lower section being parallelgone. face of. said upper. section extending con suouc with the :outer face of said lower section. aplurality of prismatic proiectionsofbuual fwidth formed integral with and face of [said upper section. said having an upper and lower "side, said .lower'side having a reflecting surface for reflecting all-light rays striking said surface "at a downward slant and increasing i width towards the oi said upper section. and said upper side'having a transparent surfaceforcasting all light rays striking said surface said lens in a downward slant and said transparen I 1:18 in width towards'the top .ofsaid upper secton. a 1' I 7 3. A concave-convex headlight-lens a body equally divided'intoan upper sectionand" a lower section, the opposed faces of saidflo'wer section being concentric, proiections formed integral with and extending from the inner'face' of t surface increas having a reflecting and reflecting surfaoebeing of equal width; and said upper having a transparent in width-towards said upper section. anarcuatereflectingsurfacew formed with each projection and a transparent surfaceformed with each projection and arranged between saidreflecting faces. the width of said reflecting surfaces and transparentsur same width. a aunts 'nsouas scan faces gradually increasing the upperend g of the lens and said proiections each being of the 

